Legend of Zelda Retelling
by St Ethereal
Summary: This is essentially a mashup of elements from every Zelda in an attempt to make them into a cohesive story, though it's still early and could take another direction later on.
1. Chapter 1

Small villages have the advantage of obscurity, but when a small community is brought to the attention of the higher powers, the wheels of change and corruption begin to spin. The Outset Island village had remained in relative calm, but not total isolation for hundreds of years. Outset was actually two adjacent islands connected by a small bridge that ran between the two halves of the village. Long ago, something had torn the island in two. The far side of the island was covered in the walls of a steep, narrow cliffside that was raised up on the eastern shore, ran the length of the edge of the island and was an impenetrable wall on the other side. The northern shore was open to the ocean, with a single dock and lookout post on the eastern side.

Aryll could be seen constantly peering towards the endless waters from the height of the post. She was restless on the island, and she felt her heart bounding towards something fantastic just beyond the horizon. But she had been born on Outset, and it was the way of the island to hold people back. The few families that inhabited it had done so for generations, though some of the boys would sail to find a wife to bring back to the island with them. Her mother had been raised here, and her father had come to her. But he had not been born in Outset, and he could not stay there forever like the rest of them, so he took her mother away. She had never dreamed of finding them. She preferred to dream that they were both dead.

She lived now with her older brother, Link, and Grandmother. Mother had left them all. Mother had left them for the man. Today Link watched her from the shore and felt his heart grow heavy. It was his birthday, and he had come of age into manhood to wonder not what lay ahead for him but for Aryll and Grandmother. Aryll was too young, but the day would come where she was going to do something that was going to crush Grandmother's heart. He could see it in the way she stared at the waves. Link only dreamed of a life of a fisherman for himself. It was what he had been raised to do, and he had to bring food to the village that had scarce land for growing any. But then again his sister was young; she had time to mature and start thinking of what was best for her.

He passed the bridge and headed uphill towards the house of his mentor Orca, who had been a stranger to the village when he had arrived generations before. He had largely taken the roll of Link's father in place of the man that had left so recklessly, teaching him to hunt, fish, grow, and fight. Most importantly, he had helped Link to appreciate the beauty of the world around him-even though Link's world spanned only a few hundred square meters, and the surrounding waters. This was their last lesson together. He hesitated, and though he was welcome to come inside any time, he knocked. The man opened to the door with a look of surprise on his face, as Link had often come inside casually in the past months. Today he bowed his head in respect for the elder and once-stranger of the village. Orca grimaced at the unnecessary measure, but understood and took the young man inside.

Orca's hut was essentially a round two-story archive of his travels during his youth. The walls were covered in souvenirs and memories of distant- and not so distant- places that made up the various kingdoms of the Hylian continent. Orca took his spear from the wall and turned to face his pupil. "I have always held back on you, Link, to some extent. Even when I did not hold back any skill of mine, I always sparred with you with the intention of you learning from the experience. Today," he said, his voice growing deep as the fires of his youth began to spark, "I will duel with the intention of winning. And I do not doubt my ability to do so." He raised his spear in battle stance. Link unsheathed his wooden practice sword. "Damn, we didn't get you a sword yet? Ah, I screwed up. Come upstairs with me, let's get you using a grown man's weapon." Link followed him obediently. Orca looked at two swords hanging on the wall, reaching for one before hesitating and grabbing the second. "Caution," he said as he handed it to Link, "It's not only sharp, but it's a bit-" The blade nearly hit the floor before Link pulled it up, "-heavier than what you're used to." He finished with a slight groan, but a smile came to him as he saw the little boy grown up now.

Orca never shared his criteria for winning or losing a match. If Link could put himself in a position to defeat Orca as if he were a real opponent, then he would concede defeat. Link was the oldest of his generation, and it was necessary for him to be able to defend the peaceful island. They walked back down the stairs to fight in the main room downstairs. Link swung his new blade to get a feel for the extra weight. He hesitated with it somewhat, afraid that he might cut himself. Orca let him get comfortable with it for a while, then rose up and told him to stop. "Now you swing that thing at me, got it?" Link grit his teeth, and then took the first strike. Orca deflected it easily, and nearly put Link in a fatal position before Link could dash away. "What are you doing? Have I taught you nothing at all?"

Link felt his face grow hot, and again he swung at Orca recklessly. "Apparently not," his mentor sighed. Link stepped back, and took a moment to regain his composure. Orca swung and he blocked the spear. Orca swung again, and Link quickly defended himself again. He was beginning to react quicker with the steel sword. Link took a forward stab and Orca was able to dodge out of the way, but Link took another two quick swings at his body and he nearly lost. The old man took his spear in two hands and pushed Link back. The boy fumbled for a moment, then stood back to wait for Orca to make the next move. Orca held his spear patiently, knowing that Link would win if he took the offensive like he wanted him to. Then a smile came to raise his long beard and he jumped towards Link, who cried out in surprise. He barely rolled away, but in an instant he raised his blade to Orca.

They had each other both locked in place. It had been a tie. Link breathed in heavily, his mind racing with the battle, while the old mentor only laughed calmly and motioned for him to put down his weapon. He slowly lowered it, and Orca put his spear back on the wall then walked back up the stairs. Link waited, fumbling with his sword between his hands so it wouldn't grow too heavy for him. Orca came back stairs and gave him a sheath for the sword. Link slid it inside and swung it over his back, feeling it was a sort of extension of himself, like the sword was an extension of his arm. "Well…you're a man. Happy birthday." He held out his hand to Link. "Go on, I'm not your superior anymore." Link shook his hand with what he felt was the authority of an adult. He left not bowing his head down, but waving to Orca.

A real sword! With it he headed towards the Cliffside, determined to find an excuse to use it. The ability to cut things was new and demanded attention. The path up was relatively smooth, and definitely manmade to some extent. Any little kid worth his legs could make it up the path, and yet it was still left alone for the most part. The invisible apprehension about playing in a desolate place like the Cliffside made it seem dangerous and the appeal of such a place to a young swordsman is intoxicating. The Cliffside, like the island, was connected by a wooden bridge where the island split in two, though the bridge here was flimsier. He fumbled across to the other side, where the cliffside was topped with a small forested area that beckoned his curiosity. He felt like a little boy for running off by himself like this, and worse, sparring against imaginary foes that hid in the forms of small trees and bushes. Then again, wouldn't Orca want him to continue his training? He went on with his game he called practicing.

He destroyed a lot of the plants. He pulled his sword out of one opponent to look upon his remains. He was dead, but his body remained full of color. He hadn't done anything, really, except get in the swordsman's path. Link rose and turned his head to his path behind him. Stems lay in twisted, unnatural forms, crying out for mercy from the hand that denied them the chance. The sword was not satisfied. He watched a rodent halt in front of him to sniff the air for one of those smells that pertain only to the affairs of animals. Link raised the blade and brought it down on its body, splitting the creature's body in two. And again he smashed it, hacking at it's body. He looked at his handiwork and a sense of horror filled him. He felt vomit come to his throat and emptied his stomach onto the ground. He had violated something sacred, and the mystery of the cliffside left him.

He walked forward to leave the trees. He'd have to come back through them but right now he did not want to go back down to the village. The remaining cliff was a narrow segment looking over the island, seeing all but unseen by all. Small figures circled around the houses, and small figures circled around the clouds. A tiny body could be seen gazing out towards the sea, and Link sighed for her.


	2. Chapter 2

"The sages have failed us, they have failed us." Zelda's voice was dronelike, intoxicated, her pupils rolled into her head, but she would come to now. One that did not recognize her power of premonition would think she looked mad, especially with the mild convulsions that accompanied these episodes. Zelda's head sagged as she rested from the effort. Impa came to her and wiped the drool from her chin, then stood at attention for several minutes before Zelda looked up at her. She held her arms out for Impa like she did when she was a child and wanted to be carried. It was a pitiful sight, and Impa took her to lie in her bed. "Impa…I despair. When I recover, I'll form a plan. But for now, let me despair."

The kingdom Hyrule consisted of a group of provinces under the supreme rule of the Monarch of the Royal Family. Under his guiding hand were led the forces of all the races of continent. The Hylian Knights, one of the most formidable combat units in the world, served his castle, and its defenses were truly penetrable by only the most powerful magics- which his predecessor had learned the necessity of defending against as well.

Zelda, being the King's lone daughter, and the only plausible successor to the throne, was guarded strictly. Her nurse, Impa, also served as her bodyguard, but more importantly, she was Zelda's friend. The girl was young, but she possessed an intellect that seemed beyond herself. "If Zelda's words are true," thought Impa, though she knew they were, "then despair very well may be upon us."

Link's coming of age celebration that night was a lively feast. Through the generations on Outset the 15th birthday had become the most significant time of a man's life, save marriage. He felt somewhat out of place being only among the adults of the island- he was used to the company of those half his age, not double it. But they were all lighthearted and towards the end of the evening he no longer felt as if he would be out of place as an adult. He avoided Orca, though, feeling that he would know about what happened on the Cliffside, though it was impossible for him to know.

The lights, the food, the smiles and the night pressed themselves irreversibly on Link's memory. The peace inside of him would not be broken until he shook awake that night. It was incredibly hot, and he stood up to go get a drink, but his legs gave way under him. His vision was blurred, and he felt nauseous. His head began to throb. The heat he had felt was in his own body. He struggled to bring himself up, and his legs held long enough for him to stumble backwards back onto his bed. His hand…his sword hand was the source of his pain. He brought it to his face, examining it for bleeding, or swelling, and his eyes widened in fright as a symbol on the back of his hand appeared. It gave off a brilliant glow for a moment, stinging his eyes and illuminating his body, then his body cooled as the light disappeared. Was this a part of becoming a man? It couldn't be, as no other man on the island held this symbol on their hand. It had to be punishment for murdering the creature- a mark of shame on him. Panic took him, and he crept into the main room of the house and bandaged it. He'd say it was…a sword wound. It was fine, he'd say, no need to have a look. What else could he do? Link didn't know what to do besides dismiss it now, so he returned to bed and hoped he wouldn't be awakened again.

"What are we to do, my princess?" Impa and Zelda were together in her courtyard-not the main courtyard, but one that had built just for her. She was very much like a prisoner in her own castle, having restricted access to places in her home. Zelda gave her nurse a pretty little smile, and then turned her head forward, focusing.

"I need to seek the Third. This will take some time. In the interim I want you to discuss last night's revelation with my father."

"Yes, young one." The princess watched as Impa left to fulfill her orders, then closed her eyes and let her power take her through the landscapes and worlds that lay beyond the walls of the castle town.

She woke up with Impa holding her hand, and greeted her with a grin. "Last night. It chose a host last night."

"I assume you found him? That is good, because your father remains uncertain as to what course of action to take. I believe he may be coming to doubt your abilities." This was not what she wanted to hear, but indecision was better than rejection.

"Then we must find him on our own. He's on Outset, which is still inside Hylian waters. But I don't want to make this into a show. We need to be discreet."  
"Please, Zelda, you're the princess of Hyrule. How-"  
"Simple. You're going to sneak me out of here tonight, and we'll get our own boat, our own crew." Impa stared in disbelief. "We're going to be pirates, Impa."


	3. Chapter 3

The Rito appear to be hybrids of Hylians and birds, though they are certainly intelligent and civilized. Outset stayed in contact with the outside largely through letters delivered by a Rito postman. Link and Arylle were fascinated with him, and would talk with him regularly. One day, a week after the crest had appeared and remained undiscovered, Link was speaking to the postman. He was trying to find a way to casually mention the design and its meaning, without somehow making the Rito think that it had anything to do with him. Their current conversation, under other circumstances, might have interested him. In a few days his fisherman neighbor would be returning home from another voyage with food for the village, and there were preparations around the island to be made.

He never got the chance to ask, as Arylle began to shout from the lookout post. "There's a ship in the water! Theres a ship in the water! A really big ship!" Link and the Postman glanced at each other, and then he began to run towards his home while the Rito flew to Arylle. He apologized for startling Grandmother, then bolted to his room and pulled his sword from beneath his bed. "What in the world is the matter, Link?" she asked. "Your hand is hurt. What's going on?" He told her what Arylle had seen. "Goodness…I hope it isn't trouble. Please get Orca and the other men. Oh, get your sister inside right now, just in case!" He nodded, then took off.

The ship was clearly visible now, and squinting, he saw that they were clearly not merchant ships. Their cannons protruded threateningly, and the flag they flew was completely foreign to him. Arylle was climbing down the ladder of the tower, and Orca and three other men accompanied him were approaching the shore. Link joined them, sword in hand. He was among adults, and this was serious. "Three battleships. If they want trouble, we're not going to be able to do much." Arylle came towards them, but Orca shouted for her to go home. She ran off to the front of the house with her grandmother, who put hands on her little shoulders worriedly.

"I can speak with their captain, if you like," the Rito postman offered as he landed beside the men.

"I don't want to risk them firing at you," said Orca. "We don't know if these are men of honor or not."

"They could say they're here for the scenery, and then come charging out of these boats, and then what was the point of sending you?" added one of the men. The boats approached with unnerving speed. It was decided that he would go when they were closer, so if something happened they would know quickly. They shuffled their feet and dragged their weapons as they grew anxious, looking back at their wives and children who watched. Finally the Postman took off and they waited his return. It came after what felt like much too long, but he was safe.

"They are Gerudo. They say they know what they want and they will leave when they have found it. They say they want everyone on the island to come forth to the shore, to make it brief." The men looked at the ships in disbelief, while Link wondered what Gerudo meant.

"So they mean to enslave us," said one of the men angrily. "They want to pick out the cream of the crop. That's disgusting." The other men grunted in agreement.

"Tell the women to stay inside," Orca instructed the Postman as the flagship came to the dock and disembarked. The other two ships floated in the water anchored to the shallow water. The Outset men drew their weapons defensively as a small unit of the crew approached.

The captain was a dark man with black facial hair that grew in sporadic amounts across his face. But it only served to help his already strong, dangerous look. "Put your weapons down," he ordered. His own men kept theirs sheathed.

"What business do you have here on this island?" said Orca.

"We're looking for somebody. We'll know him when we find him. That's all. You don't mind us trying to find an old friend, do you?"

"I mind when you come here with three battleships, flying your flag like you're coming here to conquer something. Who gives you the right?"

"You could have sent a letter," chimed the Postman. The captain laughed, and his men caught on and forced laughter as well.

"But seriously, we're going to have to find this person. He's got a funny mark on his hand. Know anybody like that? If you don't, then we'll have no problem tearing up your backwards little village until we find him. Got it?" Link almost cried out. They were looking for him.

"There is no such man here. Looking for him would be a waste of your time." But the captain had enough, and he drew his weapon, his men mimicking him. Link felt himself freeze. If he didn't speak up, then these men would destroy the village. Either way, how could he hope to not be discovered? He swallowed and stepped forward, unwrapping his bandage as fast as he could with his hands shaking. The Gerudo man said something Link couldn't understand to his men, who surrounded him. "Wait!" shouted Orca. Link hoped Arylle couldn't see him. But they did not listen to Link's mentor.

"This is the one," said the captain, taking Link's sword. "It looks like the old man was lying to me. That's really too bad." Two of the men began to drag Link away. What were the rest staying for?

Various yells erupted, and Link struggled against them to see. The men were fighting, and as he saw the scene he felt his heart stop. Orca had defeated several of the captain's men, but he and the other men were overcome by their numbers. It continued until the captain pulled his blade, the blade he had taken from Link back. In a moment had thrust it through Orca's chest. Screaming filled Link's ears until he realized it was his own voice he heard.

They were all being killed, when he could have been fighting. What had his "courage" done for them, but given that man another sword? As much as he struggled now, it was too late; these men holding him were too strong. Why had he waited to choose to fight? The captain turned away, with one male of the island standing in bewilderment among the dead. His men stood there with their weapons drawn, but the fighting had stopped. The winner was clear.

The captain approached Link. "Things would have been so much simpler if he hadn't tried to protect you. Oh, I believe this is yours." He held up Link's bloody sword. "You might get it back someday. But you're Lord Agahnim's pet now." Link was carried aboard the ship powerless, still a child.

_Notes: I've been trying to stay to Nintendo created characters, so when I wrote this I originally wanted to use the green Boar-riding bastard you fight multiple times during TP as the ship captain, along with a Moblin crew. So I'm wondering if a Gerudo captain was really the right choice here- I mainly wanted to hold off on introducing monsters into the plot until later. Not to mention their intent would probably have been even more obviously harmful if the Rito postman had come back saying "They're all Moblins! Pig-monsters!" So…thoughts?_


	4. Chapter 4

Six horses rode out from Hyrule Castle, carrying five ordinary male riders, and an inconspicuous woman and her cloaked child. Such a small dispatch would appear to be nothing of particular significance, but among them were the princess Zelda, Impa, and five Hylian Knights. These men would be her crew, she the captain under the name Tetra. Tonight she would sleep on her mount, resting on Impa, as they rode to cover as much ground as possible before a search was inacted. They took short, half hour breaks, pushing their horses dangerously hard. Fleeing the castle was hasty, she knew, and for someone who was expected to remain sheltered, the consequences would be harsh. But the consequences of inaction were far more dangerous, and with that in mind she rode forward relentlessly.

They took saner breaks on the second and third days until reaching the port city of Windfall. It did not take many Rupees to find a boat at the central pier. Impa instructed the other group where to lodge their horses, and once they returned they boarded the ship immediately, with Zelda's horse still in tow.

The princess was captivated with their journey and the sheer expanse of the world around her. For a moment the worry, the growing tension flooded away, flowing into the crystalline waters and open skies.

Miserable. Link's thoughts were clouded in the despair of his mentor's death and whatever fate had befallen Outset. His cell stimulated his mindset further- it was cramped, smelly and dark. The boat was like a floating prison for the souls that these sailors chose to abduct, and he was not alone among their prisoners.

"I am Error," greeted the man in the cell across from him, but Link remained silent. There was some chatter amongst the other prisoners, and occasionally he heard tired, chalky laughter.

"I didn't know the Gerudo fools could sail. But I knowed they's was thieves, and slave drivers, and all matters of unhonorable men."

"Oh, they can sail, they just don't do it because the only boats they can get they have to steal." Of course, these men were evil. Murderers.

But Link was a failure. And in effect, didn't that make him a murderer? If he chose not to fight, to not protect the people he loved, then what he did choose was for them to die.

The princess was in full sweat. "Zelda, I think you need to rest your powers. You're becoming drained of them." The girl only breathed in and out, fanning herself halfheartedly. Impa wiped her brow. "…How is your father?"

"Angry. And…worried. I hope he will not bear down on you for this." Impa smiled at her concern.

"I'm responsible for myself, you know." Zelda nodded as if she were no longer listening. The boat swayed gently, and above the "pirates" could be heard fooling around as they worked.

"Something's happened at Outset." Impa knew well what would be said next. "_Can't we get there any faster?" with a look of urgency. _

"I'll give the order for the men to focus." This was fine.

"Can't we get there any faster?" Zelda asked, with an urgent look in her face. She looked much better with loose hair and a dress. Impa wondered if their pirate attire was even necessary.

"I doubt it. We'll be there soon."

Link let himself pass in and out of consciousness. At one point he noticed the man in the cell across from him had been taken away somewhere, but he did not give much thought to it. He had been a short, fat man in his early 30's.

When he gave the effort to be awake enough to think straight, he dreamt of revenge. He would make that captain look at the same sword he had held before Link, stained now with his own blood. Link loathed that man. The echoes of the ship began to frighten him. He was fed once a day, which made him resent his captivity even more. What frustrated him more than anything was his own helplessness.

When "Tetra" and her pirates landed on the shores of Outset, not a single native was there to greet them. Troubled, that at the worst the island had been abandoned, she hastened the crew up towards the houses. On her command Impa called out, but there was no response. Again, and again she yelled, and threatened to intrude in the houses if there was no reply as they would take them all to be empty. Reluctantly a man stepped out of his home, clutching a kitchen blade defensively.

"What happened on this island?" Zelda began. He told her that it was not the business of plunderers and murderers such as herself. She stepped back from him, agitated, but then remembered that as Tetra she would have to be aggressive. "You think you can defend yourself with that rusty little thing? Give me a break. Now tell me what happened on this…forsaken island." She glanced at Impa, but her caretaker was staring forward with her usual look of intent.

"Pirates, people just like you came here," his voice began to crack, "Murdered our elder and took one of our chil-one of our young men." Zelda felt her thoughts freeze.

"What man? Why did they take him?" Impa said, taking over the questioning as she sensed Zelda's distress.

"He was just turned old enough to have his own house built, if he wanted. Then those men came and asked for somebody…and then all hell broke loose."

"Who else was there? Bring them here. We want a detailed account of what happened," said Zelda. And then, hesitantly, she added, "Or else," in as piratelike a manner as possible. After the villager had complied, and the stories were all taken together, Zelda concluded that the one that had been taken was, in fact, the one with the Crest. "Which way did the ship that took him set sail?" And, to appease them, for she was at heart no pirate, "We'll track it down and bring your villager back." Suddenly excited, they all told the pirates that the ship had headed north. Zelda then dismissed herself and the crew and began to head back towards the ship. All these people had from her was her word. How could they trust her? Away from the crowd of people discussing the matter among themselves was an elderly woman, clutching her face in her hands. It was the most pathetic sight the princess had ever seen, and she turned her head away quickly and focused straight on the boat.

Zelda stood at the deck, watching the sea, apprehensive of what was to come when they came into contact with the boat ahead. What was to come when they found the boy with the mark- or when they did not find him.

"We have to turn back!" cried one of her men. She turned to see the man coming up the stairs with a young girl in his grasp. "It's a stowaway from that island. We have to take this girl back." Zelda approached her cautiously. She could only be 8 or 9. Compared to Zelda at her age, she was muscular and dark skinned.

"Who are you?" she asked the girl.

"I came with because my brother was taken away on that ship. I'm not afraid of you." Zelda paused for a long moment.

"We can't stop now. We'll send a letter at the next postal branch we come across. For now she will board with me." The man set the girl down, who rubbed her bare arms in a silly defensive gesture. Impa came to them, and Zelda told her to find some light work for the girl to take up.

Link's eyes open hesitantly at first, but then he jolted awake as he realized that someone was standing directly in front of him, and his cell door was open. The intruder was a man with scraggly black hair that fell to his shoulders and dark, burned skin-a nameless crewmember.

"Get up, you lazy boy. We're here."


End file.
